Samsung Galaxy Note 4 release date, news and rumors

As inevitably as summer follows spring the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 will follow the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. The Note 3 came out last year and the Galaxy S5 has already broken cover, so it seems safe to assume that the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 will arrive before too long. So far news and rumors about the device are pretty slim on the ground. We expect they’ll pick up steam once the dust has settled on the Galaxy S5, but we have heard a few things, from the possibility of a 64-bit processor, to a curved screen and more.

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 release date and price

There’s no word yet on exactly when the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 might be released, but Samsung mobile chief Lee Young Hee told Bloomberg that it would be released in the second half of 2014. The previous two Notes were announced in the first week of September at the IFA show in Berlin, so there’s a fair chance we’ll see the new one then too. There’s been absolutely nothing about the price yet, but this is a premium phone so expect it to be at least £550 / $800. Better start saving.

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 screen

First up, screen size. The original Note rocked 5.3 inches, the Note 2 showed up with a 5.5-inch display and the Note 3 pushed things to 5.7 inches. Going by this logic the Galaxy Note 4 should come with a 5.9-inch display, which would see it match the HTC One Max and LG G Pro 2, while still falling short of the 6.4-inch Sony Xperia Z Ultra. Samsung’s done well with Super AMOLED, but there’s a suggestion that it might ditch the technology for the Galaxy Note 4 and use PLS LCD instead. A report by ET News claims that Samsung is “considering” using the technology in future as it could apparently cut costs by as much as 20% by doing so. But Samsung is apparently only considering it in any case, so there’s hope for Super AMOLED yet.

A more positive potential change is that the Galaxy Note 4 might have a curved screen, but not in the way we’ve seen on the Galaxy Round. Instead the bulk of the display would be flat but it would curve off at the edges so that there’d be no visible bezel. This particular rumor stems from a patent filed by Samsung late last year, which shows a very Note-like device as the subject. As for the resolution, nothing’s known yet, but with 2K (Quad HD) display’s starting to emerge we wouldn’t be surprised if one found its way onto the Galaxy Note 4, especially as it’s likely to be one of the few phones with a screen big enough to benefit from it.

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 power

So far Apple is the only mobile phone maker that’s using 64-bit chips, but Samsung is set on joining the party. Kyushik Hong, vp of marketing for Samsung’s LSI business told CNET that Samsung is “very actively working” on 64-bit right now. So, while we didn’t see one in the Galaxy S5 there’s a chance that 64-bit chips might make their Android debut in the Galaxy Note 4. The Note series is usually where we see a bump up in RAM from Samsung, and with the Note 3 packing 3GB we could well see the Galaxy Note 4 rock up with a tasty 4GB under the hood. Both the Note 3 and Galaxy S5 sport the Adreno 330 GPU, which leaves the door wide open for the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 to enter the fray with a beefed up graphical processor – could this be the best gaming mobile to date?

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 camera

The Galaxy Note 4 might be in for quite the camera upgrade, as a report from ET News claims that Samsung is developing a 20MP sensor, due for release in the second half of the year. With the Galaxy Note 4 also due to be released later in the year it seems a prime candidate to benefit from the lens. The Galaxy Note 3 only has a 13 megapixel camera and even the Samsung Galaxy S5 has just a 16 megapixel sensor, so the Note 4 could be Samsung’s best camera phone yet.